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The Last Unicorn: A Search for One of Earth's Rarest Creatures
An award-winning author's quest to find and understand a creature as rare and enigmatic as any on Earth.
In 1992, in a remote mountain range, a team of scientists discovered the remains of an unusual animal with exquisite long horns. It turned out to be a living species new to Western science -- a saola, the first large land mammal discovered in fifty years.
Rare then and rarer now, a live saola had never been glimpsed by a Westerner in the wild when Pulitzer Prize finalist and nature writer William deBuys and conservation biologist William Robichaud set off to search for it in central Laos. Their team endured a punishing trek up and down white-water rivers and through mountainous terrain ribboned with the snare lines of armed poachers who roamed the forest, stripping it of wildlife.
In the tradition of Bruce Chatwin, Colin Thubron, and Peter Matthiessen, The Last Unicorn chronicles deBuys's journey deep into one of the world's most remote places. It's a story rich with the joys and sorrows of an expedition into undiscovered country, pursuing a species as rare and elusive as the fabled unicorn. As is true with the quest for the unicorn, in the end the expedition becomes a search for something the essence of wildness in nature, evidence that the soul of a place can endure, and the transformative power of natural beauty.
In 1992, in a remote mountain range, a team of scientists discovered the remains of an unusual animal with exquisite long horns. It turned out to be a living species new to Western science -- a saola, the first large land mammal discovered in fifty years.
Rare then and rarer now, a live saola had never been glimpsed by a Westerner in the wild when Pulitzer Prize finalist and nature writer William deBuys and conservation biologist William Robichaud set off to search for it in central Laos. Their team endured a punishing trek up and down white-water rivers and through mountainous terrain ribboned with the snare lines of armed poachers who roamed the forest, stripping it of wildlife.
In the tradition of Bruce Chatwin, Colin Thubron, and Peter Matthiessen, The Last Unicorn chronicles deBuys's journey deep into one of the world's most remote places. It's a story rich with the joys and sorrows of an expedition into undiscovered country, pursuing a species as rare and elusive as the fabled unicorn. As is true with the quest for the unicorn, in the end the expedition becomes a search for something the essence of wildness in nature, evidence that the soul of a place can endure, and the transformative power of natural beauty.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published March 10, 2015
61 people are currently reading
1685 people want to read
About the author
William deBuys
23 books30 followersWilliam deBuys is the author of seven books, including River of Traps: A New Mexico Mountain Life, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in general non-fiction in 1991; Enchantment and Exploitation: The Life and Hard Times of a New Mexico Mountain Range; The Walk (an excerpt of which won a Pushcart Prize in 2008), and Salt Dreams: Land and Water in Low-Down California. An active conservationist, deBuys has helped protect more than 150,000 acres in New Mexico, Arizona, and North Carolina. He lives and writes on a small farm in northern New Mexico.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
February 14, 2020
William deBuys traverses the wilds in search of proof that the saola, a creature rare as the unicorn, still exists. His testimony of heartbreak and hope shines brightest when he's recounting personal experiences. Every step of his journey is fraught with thorny truths and devastating facts about mankind's carelessness. The Last Unicorn is a wake-up call.
Saola were more than a surprise. They were a mystery drawn from a largely uninventoried habitat that promised still futher surprises. They were the embodiment of a land of marvels.
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So distant is the saola from the lumbering ruminants with which it shares the greater part of its genes that it seems closer, at least in a metaphorical way, to a creature of myth. In its spirit - or perhaps only in the spirit that the Westerners pursuing it imagine it to have - the saola seems kindred to the fabled unicorn of medieval lore. Like the unicorn, it is as rare as the rarest thing on earth.
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Consider extinction: It is an abstraction, unexplorable by the senses. It is an absense, a vacuum, a negative space. Although the fact of extinction is more durable than diamonds or steel, it is as incorpreal as smoke.
March 21, 2018
A straightforward and beautifully written book on the state of conservation in Laos in southeast Asia. The author, Debuys, went to Laos and Vietnam to search for evidence of the saola, a rare and possibly extinct leaf eating bovine of the Annamite mountains.
Highly recommend for anyone who loves nature. I also learned a good deal about many different ethnic groups of Laos.
Debuys has an eye out for all flora and fauna and poaching and deforestation.
Highly recommend for anyone who loves nature. I also learned a good deal about many different ethnic groups of Laos.
Debuys has an eye out for all flora and fauna and poaching and deforestation.
March 31, 2015
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
This is not a book I would typically read but it definitely surprised me. I enjoyed learning about the mystic and majestic animal, the saola. Prior to reading this book, I had never heard of a saola. They really are like unicorns. The author did a wonderful job detailing the trip he took as well as providing background information. This book is a very informative and engaging read.
This is not a book I would typically read but it definitely surprised me. I enjoyed learning about the mystic and majestic animal, the saola. Prior to reading this book, I had never heard of a saola. They really are like unicorns. The author did a wonderful job detailing the trip he took as well as providing background information. This book is a very informative and engaging read.
July 4, 2022
1.5 stars
So six months later, I finally finished this one!!
Although starting out well, William deBuys' account of his search for the elusive saola suffers from a severe case of over description. It feels like every time someone farts in the tent next door, or stocks up with new food supplies, or finds a random non-elusive animal, he has to write about it! There are copious passages describing what feels like the same river crossing, or jungle jaunt up a big hill then down and round in circles! It becomes a little infuriating after a while.
Then there seems to be a lot of description of animal trapping, animal slaughtering and mistreatment. Again, this becomes horribly tedious and quite upsetting to read about.
I found myself speed reading towards the final third of the book, skipping huge swathes of boring conversation, drinking in village leaders' pole mounted houses and visits to shitty festering zoos!
A well meaning but ultimately disappointingly executed title which I wouldn't recommend or read again. This copy is going to my local charity shop!
So six months later, I finally finished this one!!
Although starting out well, William deBuys' account of his search for the elusive saola suffers from a severe case of over description. It feels like every time someone farts in the tent next door, or stocks up with new food supplies, or finds a random non-elusive animal, he has to write about it! There are copious passages describing what feels like the same river crossing, or jungle jaunt up a big hill then down and round in circles! It becomes a little infuriating after a while.
Then there seems to be a lot of description of animal trapping, animal slaughtering and mistreatment. Again, this becomes horribly tedious and quite upsetting to read about.
I found myself speed reading towards the final third of the book, skipping huge swathes of boring conversation, drinking in village leaders' pole mounted houses and visits to shitty festering zoos!
A well meaning but ultimately disappointingly executed title which I wouldn't recommend or read again. This copy is going to my local charity shop!
March 15, 2015
A beautiful description of a wonderful expedition. Well written and illustrated with sensitivity to content and culture. I loved the conversations with the villagers and the authors insight to their motivations and way of life. Descriptions of terrain, people, species, and actual expedition makes this book a fascinating, educational, and well rounded experience.
September 2, 2019
Whew. That was fairly exhausting. This is a detail-filled account of the author's search in Lao for a saola, a mammal first documented as discovered in 1992 and now listed as critically endangered. Their journey is long and arduous, in a difficult climate, with difficult guides, as deBuys tells us in extreme detail. I was pretty surprised to learn a journalist wrote such a verbose book. The story of saola is a sad one and gives insight into the world of poaching and the overall destruction of the environment at the hands of humans. This is a heartbreaking read with an important message; alas it gets bogged down in a great lot of words.
April 1, 2015
The Last Unicorn is part biological quest, part travelogue. deBuys' writing is funny, its engaging and it takes the reader into the jungle with him into central Laos as they search for the rare bovid, the saola. Highly recommend for fans of nature reading and also those who like to read about travel.
December 20, 2016
This is a beautiful, beautiful book.
July 15, 2018
Part adventure trek and part lamentation on the avarice of man. William duBuys relates his three week slog through the Annamite Mountains of Laos with a biologist, Bill Robichaud, and Laotian scientists and guides. Arduous trekking through jungle and steep mountains in search of a metaphorical unicorn, the saola- an antelope like goat ungulate. They are very rare and when caught do not live long in captivity. It is feared they will not survive the organized criminal syndicates who will poach them for their dual horns. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has fostered an insatiable demand for animal parts. Rarely are tigers and elephants seen and this is in a protected area. Many of the local people collude with the poachers who are mostly Vietnamese. This can be discerned through new found consumerism in remote villages that don’t even have roads. Nothing is safe from the poachers’ indiscriminate use of snares.
DeBuys’ description of finding animals along a trail of death is heartbreaking and will fill you with anger. It’s not even selective targeting. Just killing everything that moves. He has many moments of zen and also anxiety in the forest as he candidly relates the cultural and leadership challenges in a remote environment that is beautiful, uncomfortable, and potentially dangerous. Bomb craters from America’s secret war in Laos are also in evidence but there’s never any anxiety expressed over unexploded ordnance. The author took this physically arduous trip in his early sixties and that’s quite a feat too. Lions, tigers, and leeches. Oh my.
DeBuys’ description of finding animals along a trail of death is heartbreaking and will fill you with anger. It’s not even selective targeting. Just killing everything that moves. He has many moments of zen and also anxiety in the forest as he candidly relates the cultural and leadership challenges in a remote environment that is beautiful, uncomfortable, and potentially dangerous. Bomb craters from America’s secret war in Laos are also in evidence but there’s never any anxiety expressed over unexploded ordnance. The author took this physically arduous trip in his early sixties and that’s quite a feat too. Lions, tigers, and leeches. Oh my.
February 11, 2020
A compelling read. This book highlights the conservationist's dilemma. How do you encourage protection of a species. What is the value of a saola? Traditional Chinese medicine places a high value on many species, but in a way that creates a market, not for the species' conservation, but rather for it's destruction. How does one create a "market" for the intrinsic value of an animal? DeBuys, shows the rich biological value of the area juxtaposed with the desire of the region's inhabitants to improve their status. The rate at which humans throughout the world are contributing to extinction is saddening. No easy answers.
April 1, 2020
A vivid account of one expedition that describes the common struggles conservationists deal with in their effort to save endangered species. DeBuys gives a heart-wrenching and eye-opening story about saola.
January 26, 2022
Well, at first I was looking for the other last unicorn, but I downloaded the audiobook for this by mistake. About 5 hours into it I was thinking to myself "when does the fantasy stuff start?".
Good book tho
Good book tho
Read
December 11, 2024No stars, because I have no idea why I read this. I'm not mad - it was fun to learn about and I was looking at maps of Laos for a week, but I also used it to fall asleep at night so take that how you will. The ant biting the eyeball was nightmare fuel.
April 23, 2021
If you needed a wake up call about the current mass extinction crisis, this is it.
July 16, 2020
Knowledgeable and witty, deBuys is a talented writer. His narration of the trek undertaken to search for the saola (a rarely spotted and nearly exticint species of antelope) in Southeast Asia is at once enlightening and humorous, clever and self-deprecating, descriptive and introspective.
And then he gets you right in the feels with insights like this:
"To care about the world, we have to open our hearts, but by opening them, we make them easier to break. We mourn the depletion of species and the extinction of more of them than we can easily count.... We mourn the loss of a forest here and a river there, and, if we are paying attention and if our hearts are the least bit open, our lives become a vigil at the bedside of an ailing planet...... we relentlessly diminish the vigor of the evolutionary epoch that brought our species, Homo sapiens, into being....pythonlike, we have wrapped ourselves around the creation that made us and are squeezing out its life."
** William deBuys **
And then he gets you right in the feels with insights like this:
"To care about the world, we have to open our hearts, but by opening them, we make them easier to break. We mourn the depletion of species and the extinction of more of them than we can easily count.... We mourn the loss of a forest here and a river there, and, if we are paying attention and if our hearts are the least bit open, our lives become a vigil at the bedside of an ailing planet...... we relentlessly diminish the vigor of the evolutionary epoch that brought our species, Homo sapiens, into being....pythonlike, we have wrapped ourselves around the creation that made us and are squeezing out its life."
** William deBuys **
July 25, 2015
My rating wobbles between three and four stars.
I usually smoke right through books, but this one took a long time. I received it as a Goodreads First Read about 5 weeks ago. I always try to get the giveaways read right away and reviewed, but this book took almost as long to read as the writer took in the jungles of Laos, looking for the saola! It's not that it was boring or technical or any such thing...it was just a serious, thoughtful book that deserved a good reading.
From the book cover:
"In 1992, in a remote mountain range, a team of scientists discovered teh remains of an unusual animal with exquisite long horns. It turned out to be a living species new to Western science - a saola, the first large land mammal discovered in fifty years. Rare then and rarer now, a live saola had never been glimpsed by a Westerner in the wild when Pulitzer Prize finalst and nature writer William deBuys and conservation biologist William Robichaud set off to search for it in central Laos."
Well, I was hooked.
Perhaps the reason it took so long to get through the story was that I kept putting the book down and thinking about the delicate balance of life, of human nature and the impact we ALL have on the world.
If you read it for nothing else but the descriptions of the saola, it will be very worth your time. If you delve in deeper and really work your way through the cultural, economic, and environmental topics also tangled together, you'll be a better person for having done so.
I'll leave you with the author's words:
"We are entranced by beautiful creatures not just because they give pleasure and inspire awe, but because they carry a charge like an ionized particle. Beauty excites and glows. Put a horse in an empty meadow and the meadow becomes animate. Put a saola you cannot see, in a forest, and the forest, as though it held a unicorn, acquires an energy that cannot be described. It becomes numinous; it gains the pull of gravity, the weight of water, the float of a feather."
I usually smoke right through books, but this one took a long time. I received it as a Goodreads First Read about 5 weeks ago. I always try to get the giveaways read right away and reviewed, but this book took almost as long to read as the writer took in the jungles of Laos, looking for the saola! It's not that it was boring or technical or any such thing...it was just a serious, thoughtful book that deserved a good reading.
From the book cover:
"In 1992, in a remote mountain range, a team of scientists discovered teh remains of an unusual animal with exquisite long horns. It turned out to be a living species new to Western science - a saola, the first large land mammal discovered in fifty years. Rare then and rarer now, a live saola had never been glimpsed by a Westerner in the wild when Pulitzer Prize finalst and nature writer William deBuys and conservation biologist William Robichaud set off to search for it in central Laos."
Well, I was hooked.
Perhaps the reason it took so long to get through the story was that I kept putting the book down and thinking about the delicate balance of life, of human nature and the impact we ALL have on the world.
If you read it for nothing else but the descriptions of the saola, it will be very worth your time. If you delve in deeper and really work your way through the cultural, economic, and environmental topics also tangled together, you'll be a better person for having done so.
I'll leave you with the author's words:
"We are entranced by beautiful creatures not just because they give pleasure and inspire awe, but because they carry a charge like an ionized particle. Beauty excites and glows. Put a horse in an empty meadow and the meadow becomes animate. Put a saola you cannot see, in a forest, and the forest, as though it held a unicorn, acquires an energy that cannot be described. It becomes numinous; it gains the pull of gravity, the weight of water, the float of a feather."
July 6, 2015
In the early 1990s, a little known forest-dwelling antelope-like creature, unknown to Westerners, was "discovered" in the Ammanite Mountains along the border of Vietnam and Laos. Genetic analysis showed that the saola, as it's known to locals, is a modern-day survivor of a species whose ancestors were the originators of both cattle and antelopes. Shy, elusive, and rare, a few specimens were captured, but never fared well in captivity.
In this book, deBuys follows a naturalist, his colleagues and some guides through the mountains and forests of northern Laos in search of this creature, or at least evidence that it still exists. The landscape is rugged, and the going rough -- not the least because of the dangers imposed by poachers and their snares. The narrative follows two major expeditions undertaken in 2011. I can't imagine how difficult this trip, done almost entirely on foot, must have been. He describes the various villages, villagers and guides he interacts with in such a way that they become quite familiar. And it was very interesting to find out about Laos and Lao culture. I realize I know very little about this country.
But the real glory in this book is his descriptions of the forest around him. He can write about the plants, animals and atmosphere in such a way that truly gave me chills. And the final photograph in the book gave me goosebumps.
In this book, deBuys follows a naturalist, his colleagues and some guides through the mountains and forests of northern Laos in search of this creature, or at least evidence that it still exists. The landscape is rugged, and the going rough -- not the least because of the dangers imposed by poachers and their snares. The narrative follows two major expeditions undertaken in 2011. I can't imagine how difficult this trip, done almost entirely on foot, must have been. He describes the various villages, villagers and guides he interacts with in such a way that they become quite familiar. And it was very interesting to find out about Laos and Lao culture. I realize I know very little about this country.
But the real glory in this book is his descriptions of the forest around him. He can write about the plants, animals and atmosphere in such a way that truly gave me chills. And the final photograph in the book gave me goosebumps.
February 23, 2015
William deBuys accompanies conservation biologist William Robichaud on his quest to find the saola. The saola are one the rarest mammals in the world and make their home in very remote areas of Laos. The group endures a dangerous trek though rivers and mountains as they make their way to the presumed location of the saola.
This was a challenging read for me and took a couple tries to really get into it. Once I got into the groove of reading however, I was hooked. The maps and photographs helped with really getting a feel for what the environment was like and how difficult the terrain was to navigate. William deBuys provides a real and captivating account of the expedition and builds a sense of mystery surrounding the saola. He describes the relationships he has built with the expedition members and the strong bond he has built with Robichaud.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a glimpse into a remote and uninhabited part of the world and learn about one of its rarest creatures.
Disclaimer: I received a digital ARC of The Last Unicorn directly from its publisher Little, Brown and Company in exchange for an honest review.
My original review can be found on my blog: oriemg.blogspot.ca
This was a challenging read for me and took a couple tries to really get into it. Once I got into the groove of reading however, I was hooked. The maps and photographs helped with really getting a feel for what the environment was like and how difficult the terrain was to navigate. William deBuys provides a real and captivating account of the expedition and builds a sense of mystery surrounding the saola. He describes the relationships he has built with the expedition members and the strong bond he has built with Robichaud.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a glimpse into a remote and uninhabited part of the world and learn about one of its rarest creatures.
Disclaimer: I received a digital ARC of The Last Unicorn directly from its publisher Little, Brown and Company in exchange for an honest review.
My original review can be found on my blog: oriemg.blogspot.ca
February 27, 2016
“We are entranced by beautiful creatures not just because they give us pleasure and inspire awe, but because they carry a charge like an ionized particle” writes DeBuys. Even if it is an animal we have not seen, such as the gentile horned deer like creature called “Saola” that lives only the remote forests of Vietnam. In “The last unicorn” we follow field biologist (and Wisconsin native) Bill Robichaud working the vineyard of species protection mending the small tears in the fabric of life so they don’t lead to big rents that might endanger mankind. The odds are steeped and stacked against them. Using camera trapping technology and native guides they stumble, at time drunkenly, along the Laos/Vietnam border looking for further evidence of this little known species, a species that was only rediscovered 20 years ago. Many times this story reminded of River of Doubt, the book that chronicles Teddy Roosevelt's post presidential adventure in the Amazon 100 years ago. Saola is a ghost like animal which is ultimately is part of a larger picture, one that includes climate change, the numerous hydroelectric dams in the Mekong river basin and the changing landscape, booming world population in SE Asia, etc. Saola is not the only ghost that needs saving.
November 20, 2018
This author took me to a place I knew very little about, the jungles of modern day Laos. It is a place of barely discovered, and probably, undiscovered miracles. It is remote and difficult. Unfortunately, many of these miracles are on the brink of extinction from indiscriminate poaching and Loss of habitat.
The author is part of a scientific expedition to find a saola. This can be described as a type of antelope, except it is its own genus and species. It is known by the local people as the "polite animal" as it is quiet, dignified and a tidy eater. They could all be gone as I write this.
My overall feeling while reading this book was one of sadness but the author did encourage a fragile hope. The story also made me aware of the effect if Traditional Chinese Medicine on the world. So many species are destroyed for its benefit. This is 2016, a rhinoceros horn won't cure cancer anymore than my fingernails will. This book bothers the brain.
The author is part of a scientific expedition to find a saola. This can be described as a type of antelope, except it is its own genus and species. It is known by the local people as the "polite animal" as it is quiet, dignified and a tidy eater. They could all be gone as I write this.
My overall feeling while reading this book was one of sadness but the author did encourage a fragile hope. The story also made me aware of the effect if Traditional Chinese Medicine on the world. So many species are destroyed for its benefit. This is 2016, a rhinoceros horn won't cure cancer anymore than my fingernails will. This book bothers the brain.
March 18, 2022
interesting premise and worthy expedition into the borderlands of laos, in search of a very rare and very old creature. the saola is *not* a unicorn (spoiler!!); it has two horns, but the author likes to make a lot of analogies to the other rarely seen, gently magical beast. i would have liked to actually learn more about the saola here (second spoiler - they don't see one), but instead, the majority of the book comprised day-by-day descriptions of the team's trek through the region, with way too much discussion of how the author didn't have firm footing and felt embarrassed by falling all the time, or how frustrating it was to have these local guides who'd rummage through your sack and eat through the food supplies too fast. unfortunately, this book just reinforced for me how much i prefer nonfiction where the author is not a main character in his own prose. but i do hope the saola stays safe and sheltered it its magical, albeit ever-shrinking, woods.
January 10, 2018
The Last Unicorn came highly recommended by one of my favorite grad school professors. Another book that sat around on my reading list for a long time, I was originally hesitant to start it - I had read another book by deBuys - A Great Aridness - and had found it at times (pun intended) a bit dry. That was not the case with The Last Unicorn.
The Last Unicorn relates deBuys's time spent on an expedition looking for the critically endanger saola. No westerner had ever seen a saola in the wild, and deBuys and the researcher with whom he is traveling, hope to do just that. While not a page-turner, the book was always interesting and very beautifully written. deBuys is a master at creating metaphors that helped stress the importance of protecting the biodiversity of the planet. Incredibly moving and well-research, the book is a well-written advocate for conservation efforts world-wide.
The Last Unicorn relates deBuys's time spent on an expedition looking for the critically endanger saola. No westerner had ever seen a saola in the wild, and deBuys and the researcher with whom he is traveling, hope to do just that. While not a page-turner, the book was always interesting and very beautifully written. deBuys is a master at creating metaphors that helped stress the importance of protecting the biodiversity of the planet. Incredibly moving and well-research, the book is a well-written advocate for conservation efforts world-wide.
August 24, 2017
A very interesting book describing the journey of biological researchers trudging through remote areas of Vietnam and along the Laos/ Cambodia looking for evidence of the "last unicorn," a large antelope that was only recently discovered. The seasoned leader led journalist deBuys through tough terrain and deBuys tells a down to earth rendition of the trip. I have never been to Vietnam but this book was an account of the discoveries, hardships, and cultural differences (and similarities) between worlds; of people trying to survive in their lands the best they could and outsiders who saw great value in the exotic creatures of the jungles.
June 14, 2021
I found this an overall depressing read, highlighting once again how we as humans seem incapable of living in harmony with nature and wild animals. As pointed out, what is playing out in Vietnam and Laos by mindlessly killing off species for human "need" and greed, already played itself off in all Western countries centuries ago. It seems as if we will not rest until there are only humans and cruelly farmed animals (for our own consumption of course) left in this world. If covid indeed comes from a wild animal, I would like to think that the animals are fighting back.
The book was well-written and interesting, but the cruelty everywhere greatly reduced my enjoyment.
The book was well-written and interesting, but the cruelty everywhere greatly reduced my enjoyment.
November 10, 2023
I really wanted to love this book... But I couldn't. It's not about Saola or Unicorns, but an odd combination of a trip log and philosophical musings (from environmental conservation to friendship to death) that never felt cohesive. At it's best the stories are beautiful at times, you can feel his frustration or tiredness at others and DeBuys can really turn a phrase... But, like his slog through the Laos jungle, it was tiring.
That isn't to say it's a bad book. With infinite time, the musings are occasionally apt and the stories engaging. It's just hard to give a higher rating than 3 for my personal enjoyment. Your mileage may vary.
That isn't to say it's a bad book. With infinite time, the musings are occasionally apt and the stories engaging. It's just hard to give a higher rating than 3 for my personal enjoyment. Your mileage may vary.
November 19, 2015
It gets you right under the rib cage. A great tale of perseverance and strength and a nearly quixotic quest for the saola in Southeast Asia. At once inspiring and heartbreaking, an acknowledgment that we are in deep doo doo environmentally, morally, and the biome in which we live is irreversibly and irrevocably cracked and broken with dire consequences rapidly approaching. But also a brave tale of exploration and a noble quest told with great detail and insight.
Well done!
4.7/5
Well done!
4.7/5
July 24, 2017
This is a beautifully written non-fiction account of the search for a glimpse of the elusive saola, which are native to Vietnam and Laos. It's partly about the saolo, endangered species, and the history and current state of the area and partly a travelogue complete with jungle treks, food poisoning, and interactions with the locals.
May 20, 2024
I really enjoyed this book but only because I was in Laos and Viatnam at the Time so could really feel the environment and descriptions of the boats and tractors. Was great for conservation and spreading the words for trafficking
Not sure if would have the same impact reading in another country or 1st world country
Not sure if would have the same impact reading in another country or 1st world country
January 18, 2016
I just could not get into this book, mostly due to the author's writing style.
June 20, 2016
Fantastic read… I learned quite a bit about conservation & Laos, without losing the narrative of an excellent travel adventure narrative.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews